Faye: a 14-year old gifted disabled girl and how she overcame her learning disabilities - prologue; characteristics of gifted families seeking counseling

Abstract

Most parents meeting me for counseling regarding their gifted children share some common characteristics. They are usually of middle- and upper middle-class socio-economic status, but by no means rich. Both parents are salaried employees, and those who are not, have their own private lawyers', accountants', doctors', physical- or mental health professionals companies or businesses; A very high percentage of the parents are professionals in education, counseling, or psychology. When not, they are well-read in child development, educational psychology, sociology, education in general and education of the gifted in particular; Almost all families have at least 2 children; the majority are 3-child families and the minority - 4-child families. A high rate of the fathers are married for the second time; in most of these cases the father has children from his former marriage as well; I am almost never the first priority as a counselor of the parents. Quite often I am perceived by them as the last resort, after at least one other intervention - in some cases after three or even four other trials. In some of these cases, especially after long, unsuccessful interventions, it is not easy to convince the child to meet me after such disappointments. In spite of the fact that many parents of gifted girls and adolescent females approach me either by telephone or by mail, for example: 36 in the year 2014 (see David, in press), they almost never make an appointment for a counseling session, and when they do - they cancel it quite frequently. Even when a family with a gifted family makes it for the counseling session, it rarely wishes to start treatment. This is quite puzzling, taking into account the fact that the problems of many of these girls are severe; for example: in 2014 all children and adolescents threatening to commit suicide were made by girls, while only one girl started treatment with me - a 6-year old adorable girl who was not in any danger whatsoever. As for boys - because of time limitation I can have less than one third of the candidates for intervention.